


I Need A Hero

by charming_barnes



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Based on a Bonnie Tyler Song, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Footloose - Freeform, M/M, Not Stucky Wedding, Sharing a Bed, Weddings, holding out for a hero, other characters too probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-11-06 02:46:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17931359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charming_barnes/pseuds/charming_barnes
Summary: Okay, so maybe Bucky shouldn't have used the lyrics to "Holding Out For a Hero"--to make a Craiglist ad, of all things--to find a date to his sister's wedding. But then Steve Rogers replies, and this might just work out.





	1. Chapter 1

Bucky groaned as he woke up and immediately got a headache from the sun coming through his bedroom window. He rubbed a hand over his face and  _ really _ started to regret going out with Sam last night. He finally stumbled out of bed in search of a glass of water, pouring one for the friend on his couch, too. 

He nudged Sam awake and handed him a glass, and they both sat and slowly sipped their waters. 

Sam spoke first, “Hey, man, you might want to check your laptop. Not sure why.”

Bucky just grabbed his laptop and turned it on, wincing at the bright screen and lowering the brightness as far as he could. There were two open tabs, one open on a Craigslist ad. As Bucky looked closer, he realised with a sinking feeling that he was the one who posted it.

“Wanted: A Date to My Sister’s Wedding,” it read. “My family thinks I have a boyfriend, so I really need to show up to the wedding with a date. I’ll pay for food and a hotel I just REALLY need a date.” Bucky stopped reading for a second to try and remember writing this. He did have a very blurry memory of complaining to Sam that he couldn’t possibly show up to Becca’s wedding without a date.

“REQUIREMENTS:” the ad continued, “ I need a hero! You’ve gotta be strong, you’ve gotta be fast, and you’ve gotta be fresh from the fight. I need a hero!! You’ve gotta be sure, and it's gotta be soon (the wedding is in two weeks!!) and you’ve gotta be larger than life.”

Bucky wanted to go back in time and punch himself for ever writing this ad. Really? The lyrics to “Holding Out For a Hero”? He must have heard the song and thought it was a good idea. Sam was reading over his shoulder, laughing. 

“You already have a few responses!” Sam said, and Bucky clicked over to the blinking notification on the other tab.

Predictably, most of the responses were from men who Bucky really did not want to take to meet his mom, but there was one that stood out to him. It was from some guy called Steve, who actually took the time to write out a really polite email.

Steve seemed nice, and after Bucky read through it he read it aloud to Sam.

“ _ Dear Bucky _ ,” he started, “can you believe that? ‘Dear Bucky?’ Okay, sorry.  _ Dear Bucky, I understand where you’re coming from; my parents have been trying to get me to go out with someone for years. I believe I fill all of your requirements, though I’m not sure if I qualify as a ‘hero.’ I’m pretty tall (6’0) and have been in my fair share of fights. I can be pretty confident, too. Parents love me. I’m free the weekend of the wedding, and I definitely wouldn’t object to a free trip. I’ve attached a photo of myself along with my phone number, just to prove I’m a real person, I guess. Anyway, please let me know. Sincerely, Steve _ .”

Sam had to admit that Steve sounded like an okay guy as Bucky clicked open the attached image. While he was half expecting something inappropriate, the picture opened to show one of the most attractive men Bucky had seen in his life. 

The picture was a surprisingly high quality image of a brightly smiling man with blonde hair, a short beard, and light blue eyes. He was scruffy in a very on purpose way, and Bucky was already half in love. “He’s perfect,” he said.

“Really?” Sam asked. “Yeah, he’s attractive, but you don’t think you should make sure you’re not being catfished?”

“Good point,” Bucky said. “I’m gonna email him back and see if he wants to go to Starbucks or something with me. Calm down, I’ll make sure to mention I’m bringing you along,” he said when Sam started to protest.

Sam reluctantly agreed, and Steve agreed to meet the next day at Bucky’s favorite Starbucks. 

***

To: Sam 11:43 AM

HELP i have a Problem

To: Buck 11:44 AM

What?? Are you okay???

To: Sam 11:46 AM

I can’t decide what to wear to meet steve :(

To: Buck 11:53 AM

Really. That’s your emergency. I was WORRIED

To: Sam 11:55 AM

Well good you should be this is important :(

Should i wear that plaid or the plain blue

To: Buck 11:56 AM

Plaid

And hurry up you’ve got like 15 minutes to get there

To: Sam 11:57 AM

Yeah yeah im coming

Bucky glanced at the mirror as he left and had to admit that Sam had good taste. Bucky looks  _ good _ in a dark green and gray plaid button-up, with just enough of a beard to make it a Look. 

He walked into the Starbucks about two minutes before the time they had agreed to meet and was surprised to see that not only was Steve real, but he was already there. Bucky hadn’t included a picture in his ad, so Steve didn’t know who he was until it was clear Bucky was walking towards him. Sam wasn’t there yet, but Bucky figured they were in a public enough place that he could at least say hello.

Steve stood up as Bucky got closer and, god, Bucky had thought his picture was attractive. It must have been a pretty recent picture, because Steve had the same beard and hair, and today he was wearing a loose-fitting gray t-shirt that didn’t quite manage to hide how good he looked. Somehow, he was even prettier in real life.

Steve smiled and held out his hand. Bucky shook it, smiling back. They stood there for a second, only realising they were still clasping each others’ hands when Sam showed up. They both stepped back a little, startled, and Bucky introduced Sam to Steve before they all sat down. 

They made some polite small talk, taking a break at one point to go order something to drink.

“So, Steve, what do you do?” Sam asked, looking serious. Bucky barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. 

“Oh, I own a specialty bookstore a few blocks from here,” Steve said.

“That’s so cool,” Bucky said dreamily. 

Sam was less convinced. “Okay, what I really want to know is why you responded to Bucky’s ad.”

Steve looked a little embarrassed. “I’m not really sure. It just seemed like a good idea? The ad made me laugh and I thought, what do I have to lose, right? And if it was a joke or you found someone else, no harm done to me. And, you know, not to be annoying, but I thought I fit the requirements, at least mostly. Plus I thought it might be fun. I like weddings, and I won’t argue with a free trip. So, uh, yeah,” he ended when he realised he had started to ramble.

Bucky was absolutely charmed. Sam had been subtly interrogating Steve since they sat down, but that was the first time he asked such a direct question. Steve handled the questions very well, telling Sam whatever he wanted to know. Sam begrudgingly  and privately thought that he liked Steve too. 

“Do you have any questions for me or Bucky?” Sam asked, like he was Bucky’s mom or something.

“Yeah, so, Bucky, what made you put up the ad?” Steve asked, turning those blue eyes on Bucky.

Bucky blushed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I, uh, I was kinda drunk when I posted that,” he said. “Me and Sam found it yesterday morning. I must have heard the song and thought it was a good idea.”

Steve smiled. “I hope it works out well for you,” he said. 

Sam rolled his eyes and elbowed Bucky. He was pretty sure it meant that Sam liked Steve well enough to let Bucky take Steve with him. 

“If you still want to go, the wedding is next Saturday. My sister’s name is Becca,” Bucky said before trailing off. 

“You guys will have to stay in a hotel Friday and Saturday night,” Sam said, picking up what Bucky was saying when it was clear he wasn’t going to finish. “Don’t worry, Bucky’s family isn’t too conservative, so you guys will be fine. His mom will probably love you.”

“Sounds good,” Steve said, still looking at Bucky.

Sam sighed. Maybe these idiots would be good for each other. One could only hope. 


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky managed to get through the next two weeks with only minimal freaking out. Yes, he was taking a stranger to his sister’s wedding. But was that stranger the most beautiful man in the world? Also yes. So he didn’t  _ really _ see the problem here. 

Sam, however, was a little more skeptical. 

“You do realize that you know, like, nothing about him, right?” he asked. 

“I kinda figured we could use the drive over to get to know each other,” Bucky said. 

“Right,” Sam said, “and how many times have you texted him in the past few days?”

Bucky’s phone lit up with a text. He looked down to see who it was from, automatically smiling when he saw Steve’s name. “Not that much,” he lied. 

“Uh huh,” Sam said, clearly unconvinced. 

“C’mon, Sam, I like him,” Bucky said. 

“Yeah, I know,” Sam said. “I’m just worried about you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know you like him too,” Bucky said, glancing down at another text from Steve. 

“He’s alright,” Sam said. “I just think you’re trusting him too quickly. What if he’s secretly a serial killer?”

Bucky squinted at his phone. “Do you think serial killers use emojis? Because he just sent like five in one text.”

Sam held up his hands in defeat. “I give up. Please remember that if you get murdered, I warned you. This is not my fault.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Bucky said. “Anyway, I’m picking him up on the way out of town tomorrow.” 

“Great. Actually, that’s good. If he was driving you would definitely die,” Sam said. 

“Sam. Darling. My best friend. I’m not going to die,” Bucky said. 

“Whatever you say,” Sam said. 

***

Bucky pulled up in front of Steve’s house and sent him a text to let him know he was there. Steve walked out the door barely a minute later, waving at Bucky as he dropped his suitcase in the backseat of the car. They awkwardly said hello and sat in silence as music played through Bucky’s spotify playlist. The silence lasted nearly a half hour before Bucky spoke up. 

“So, we’ve got, like, a two hour drive left,” he said, “and I know nothing about you? So I thought we could use the time to get to know each other a little better. At least enough to convince my family we’re dating.”

“Oh, good idea,” Steve said. “Should we just take turns asking questions, or?”

“Sure. You can go first,” Bucky said.

“Okay. Um. Your sister’s name is Becca, right? What’s her fiance’s name?” Steve asked.

“Peter Parker. Weird kid, but I like him,” Bucky said. “My turn. Where are you from?”

“Brooklyn,” Steve said proudly.

“No way, me too,” Bucky said. “I wonder if we ever met before?”

“I think I would remember you,” Steve said continuing before Bucky could wonder what that meant. “What would be your ideal date?”

“Oh, jeez. Uh, classy and romantic, I guess? Or lazy and sweet. Like, either take out and netflix or roses and a nice dinner,” Bucky said. 

“That sounds nice,” Steve said with a small smile, looking down at his hands.

Bucky adjusted his grip on the steering wheel before asking his question. “What’s your family like?”

“Oh, it’s just me and my mom. She’s an angel,” Steve said. “How do you feel about nicknames?”

“Nicknames?” Bucky repeated. “Like what?”

“You know, ‘Buck,’ ‘bro,’ ‘baby,’ ‘love,’ stuff like that,” Steve said.

Well, that sure escalated quickly. “Uh, whatever,” Bucky said. 

“Fantastic,” Steve said. That was ominous. 

“Okay, how about quick questions now?” Bucky asked. “Like, what’s your favorite color?”

“Navy blue. You?” 

“Red. Favorite book?”

“You said quick questions! I can’t just  _ choose _ one book,” Steve said indignantly. “Do you have a favorite?”

“Of course,” Bucky said. “ _ Pride and Prejudice _ .”

“Really? Wouldn’t have guessed that,” Steve said.

“Hey, don’t judge. It’s a classic,” Bucky said, laughing.

“No, of course, I liked that one too,” Steve said. “Okay, favorite number?”

“Seventeen. Yours?”

“Sixteen. Favorite food?”

“Probably sushi, you?”

“Maybe pizza?” Steve said.

“Nice,” Bucky said. “Maybe we should work on our backstory.”

“Yeah, okay. So, how did we meet?” Steve asked.

“Maybe we could say we met at Starbucks, since that’s basically true,” Bucky said.

“Oh, good idea. How about this, there was only one chair left, so I shared your table and we ended up talking,” Steve said.

“Yeah, sure. We should say we’ve been dating for at least a couple months so it’s not weird that I’m bringing you, right?” Bucky said. 

“Yeah. So how do you feel about, like, public displays of affection?” Steve asked.

“Really?” Bucky asked, glancing over at the passenger seat. What was with all these questions? “Fine. Uh, whatever you’re comfortable with, I guess.”

“Cool,” Steve said, privately resolving to embarrass the hell out of Bucky this weekend. 

They spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence, each thinking about the other and wondering how they were going to get through the weekend without giving themselves away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm still not totally sure how long this is going to be, but I hope you like this short-ish chapter. Our boys are getting to know each other :) It's a start, right??  
> also, i fixed the formatting in both chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky looked around appreciatively as he stepped into his and Steve’s hotel room. It was a nice place, and he was looking forward to staying there for the weekend. He stopped short as he walked further into the room, making Steve stumble into Bucky’s back at the unexpected pause.

“There’s only one bed,” Bucky said.

“Uh, yeah,” Steve said. “Your sister booked the hotel, and we’re supposed to be a couple. You think they would get us a room with two beds?”

“Good point,” Bucky said. Okay, this is fine. “I can sleep on the floor.”

“Woah, wait, what?” Steve asked, looking like a very confused puppy.

“I invited you here, it wouldn’t be very nice to ask you to sleep on the floor,” Bucky pointed out.

“Why does anyone need to sleep on the floor?”

Bucky just looked at Steve for a second. “What?”

“Buck. It’s a king. We could both easily sleep there,” Steve said patiently.

“Oh. Oh, right. Okay. I mean, sure,” Bucky said as he tried not to blush.

“If you’re okay with that, of course,” Steve said.

“Yeah!” Bucky said, “I mean, sure. That’s fine.”

Steve smiled a little and stepped around Bucky to put his suitcase down. “So, what’re we doing now? Just hanging out, or?”

“Dinner with my family,” Bucky said. “Are you ready to meet everyone?”

“I mean, probably,” Steve said. “I know our backstory and everything.”

“Great,” Bucky forced a worried, plastic smile, “let’s get ready then.”

***

“Hey, Mom,” Bucky said as his mom wrapped him in a hug as they got to the restaurant Becca picked. “This is my boyfriend Steve,” he said as he stepped back.

“Hi, Mrs. Barnes,” Steve said, holding out a hand. Bucky’s mom brushed his hand aside to give him a hug just like her son’s. Steve looked surprised for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. Maybe Bucky should have warned Steve about his family, but seeing him flustered was too good to pass up. 

“Please, call me Winnie. Everyone does,” Bucky’s mom said.

“A beautiful name,” Steve said with his most charming smile.

Bucky’s sister ran over to give her brother a hug, trailed by a nervous looking young man. 

“Bucky! I didn’t know you were here already,” Becca said.

“Yeah, me and Steve got here just a few minutes ago,” Bucky said. “Becca, this is my boyfriend Steve. Steve, my sister Becca and her fiance Peter.”

Peter waved and Becca looked over Steve critically. 

She turned to Bucky and said “He’s cute. I like him.”

Steve laughed. “Well, that was easier than expected. Nice to meet you. Congratulations on your wedding.”

Becca grabbed Peter’s hand and smiled. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you too. I hope you’re being good to my brother.”

Not to be outdone, Steve put an arm around Bucky’s waist. Bucky tensed a little but tried not to look surprised, remembering just in time that he already told Steve this was fine. “Of course,” Steve said. 

Bucky couldn’t help but lean into Steve, and Steve held him a little tighter for a second. Then Bucky realised what was happening and tried to keep from blushing. This wasn’t real. It was just so he didn’t have to spend the whole weekend with his family asking why he wasn’t dating anyone. That’s it. Steve isn’t actually his boyfriend. Bucky stood up straighter and avoided looking at Steve as he talked to Becca. Becca seemed to really like Steve, which would have been great if he and Bucky were actually, you know, together. 

Eventually, they sat down at a table to order, Bucky’s mom at the head of the table with Steve and Bucky across from Becca and Peter.

Bucky had hoped that Becca and Peter would be center stage all night, but obviously that was too much to hope for. 

“So, Bucky, how did you and Steve meet?” Becca asked. 

Steve answered before Bucky could even remember their backstory. “Oh, I was looking for somewhere to sit at Starbucks but it was super crowded and the literal only chair was at Buck’s table. I asked to sit down and then we just started talking,” he said, smiling. 

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Winnie said. “When was this?”

“Like, three months ago?” Bucky said. 

“And you didn’t tell me about him?” Becca asked, indignant. “How many times have I talked to you in the last three months?”

“I guess I wanted to surprise you?” Bucky said, self consciously rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. “I know no one was expecting me to bring a date.”

“It was a fair assumption,” Winnie said, patting Bucky’s hand consolingly when he started to protest. “When was the last time you liked someone enough to introduce us? Steve must be pretty special.” She smiled at Steve and Bucky turned a pretty pink. 

“I have been told I qualify as a hero,” Steve said. Bucky turned to look at him incredulously as Steve continued, “Right, sweetheart?”

Bucky’s mom practically cooed at them as Bucky blushed further and whispered a “right.”

***

Once Steve started with the nicknames, he just didn’t stop. Over the course of one dinner, there was:

“Can you pass the bread, love?”

“How’s your food, honey?”

“Baby, you have to try my pasta.”

“Do you want dessert, cutie?”

“Ready to go, gorgeous?”

Bucky actually started to get used to it, expecting the nicknames rather than being surprised every time. Bucky’s mom obviously thought it was adorable, Becca looked like she was going to tease him about it later, and Peter looked like he was trying not to laugh. 

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Bucky said, relieved. “Peter, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, right?”

“Yep! We’re doing pictures at three,” Peter said. 

“Okay cool. Goodnight, guys,” Bucky said, saying goodbye to his mom, sister, and soon to be brother in law. 

“It was very nice to meet you,” Steve said as he hugged Bucky’s mom again. Winnie agreed and whispered to Bucky that she really liked his boyfriend. Bucky smiled and nodded, and then they were on their way back to the hotel. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls note that bucky's mom's name is canonically winifred (thanks fandom wiki) but i just couldn't type winifred as many times as i wanted to. so she has a nickname here


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is 1.1k words of pretty aimless fluff, but i hope you enjoy it! next chapter is becca's wedding :-)

By the time they were back in their hotel room, Bucky was ready to crash. 

Steve sat on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes and plug his phone in on the nightstand. Bucky really wanted to just face plant into a pillow, but with Steve sitting right there? No way.  He couldn’t look too eager, right? He and Steve were just bros. Steve was doing him a favor by being there. Just guys being dudes. Or whatever. 

“I’m gonna go shower real quick,” Steve said. Bucky gave an okay and finally got to sit down without worrying about what he was doing. He must have fallen asleep because the sound of the bathroom door opening woke him up. 

Bucky looked up expecting a pajama-wearing Steve. That’s not quite what he found.

Steve had a towel wrapped around his waist, his wet hair letting drops of water slide down his back as he leaned over his suitcase. God, this was just plain unfair. 

Guys being dudes, right?

“I forgot my pajamas,” Steve said, looking over at Bucky apologetically as he grabbed some plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt. 

Bucky forced himself to look up from tracking a water droplet making its way down Steve’s chest to say “It’s fine.”

Steve looked down and half smiled as he muttered something that sounded a lot like “I’m sure” before turning back into the bathroom to get dressed. 

As soon as Steve was back—now dressed a little more appropriately—Bucky went to change into his own pajamas. By the time he was dressed, Steve had already claimed his half of the bed. He was scrolling on his phone, looking way too comfortable for Bucky’s overthinking. 

Bucky went looking for his phone charger, taking a little longer than absolutely necessary to avoid having to think about what he’s doing. When he couldn’t avoid it anymore, he plugged his phone in on the nightstand across from Steve and sat down. 

Of course, Steve barely even noticed he was there. This  _ really _ shouldn’t be this difficult. Like, Bucky has had sleepovers with Sam before. It’s not weird.

“Goodnight,” Steve said, startling Bucky out of his overthinking. 

“Goodnight,” Bucky said back, and Steve reached over to turn off the lamp on his side. Bucky turned off the other light before settling down to try and sleep. His alarm was set for nine, so he should be able to sleep a while. 

***

Bucky woke up after a much better night of sleep than he expected from a hotel. He was warm and comfortable, and his alarm hadn’t even gone off yet, so he woke up slow. 

It wasn’t until he tried to stretch that he realised why, exactly, he was so warm and comfy. 

Bucky was pressed up against Steve’s chest, his arm wrapped around Bucky’s waist. Bucky froze and tried to not wake Steve up. Unfortunately, Bucky’s alarm chose that moment to start ringing. He silenced it and waited for Steve’s reaction.

Despite the alarm, Steve only woke up long enough to breathe a happy sigh against the back of Bucky’s neck before settling back into sleep. 

As Bucky laid there trying to figure out what to do, he noticed something. He could see the entirety of the pillow that was supposed to be his. So, really, he was on Steve’s side. Seriously? Bucky was the one who crowded Steve? 

But he was  _ so _ comfortable. And obviously Steve wasn’t complaining. 

As Bucky was trying to decide if he should move, he accidentally fell asleep again. He couldn’t help it, not with the heartbeat on his back and the hand resting on the sheets by his stomach. 

***

The second time Bucky woke up, he was cold. Much less inclined to stay in bed than last time, he sat up and looked around. Steve was stood over the terrible coffee maker, trying to make himself a cup.

Having succeeded in getting a passable cup of coffee, Steve turned around and jumped when he saw Bucky. 

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he said brightly. “Want some coffee?”

“Got any tea?” Bucky asked instead of responding. 

“Yep. One second,” Steve said, turning back to the coffee maker. 

“Thanks,” Bucky said. He wasn’t sure if he should apologize for--or even bring up--what he woke up to earlier that morning. Maybe when he was more awake. Or, you know, never. 

“So,” Steve said, handing Bucky a styrofoam cup of tea, “you seemed pretty comfortable this morning.”

Okay, so we are bringing this up, then. “It’s not like you were complaining,” Bucky said back. He burned his tongue on the hot tea and tried not to look affected. 

Steve laughed. “Good point.”

Bucky didn’t really know what to say, so he sipped his burning tea again and pretended to be interested in something on the bedspread. 

“It was kind of nice,” Steve said quietly. Bucky looked up in surprise, but Steve wasn’t looking at him. 

“Yeah. Kind of,” Bucky said, trying to gauge Steve’s reaction. A corner of his mouth turned up, but that was it. Okay, time to change the subject. “What time is it?”

“Like ten,” Steve said. “Not too late.”

“Oh, good. We need to be at the vineyard at like two,” Bucky said.

“Sounds good,” Steve said. “Breakfast?”

***

“Why are free hotel breakfasts always so bad?” Bucky asked through a mouthful of only barely decent waffle. They were sat cross-legged on the hotel bed, bent over plates of the breakfasts they randomly assembled downstairs.

“At least it’s free,” Steve said, poking at a pile of lukewarm scrambled eggs.

“Yeah. So, uh,” Bucky started, “We need to meet Peter at two. I’m a groomsman, so I’ll need to take pictures and I kinda volunteered us to help set up.”

“Sounds good,” Steve said. “I liked Peter. He seems like a good kid.”

“He is. A little nerdy, but he’s cool. And Becca loves him, and I trust her,” Bucky said. 

“That’s good,” Steve said. “Hey, so what was with what your sister said yesterday? About her and your mom expecting you to come by yourself?”

Bucky looked down at his now ice-cold breakfast. “Yeah, so, I haven’t really dated anyone recently. The last time I introduced someone to my family was a few years ago. I think they thought I was dating Sam and just hiding it from them, honestly. Drunk me probably didn’t think of that when I posted the ad. So, they’re probably right to be skeptical.”

“Why didn’t you just delete the ad, then? You didn’t really have to go through with it,” Steve pointed out. 

“Sam made me look through the emails,” Bucky explained. “I wasn’t going to actually respond to anyone, but then I saw your email. It made me want to meet you. Plus, you know, you’re kinda cute.” He whispered the last part, hoping Steve wouldn’t hear.

“You’re kinda cute, too,” Steve said. 

“So,” Steve continued before Bucky could answer, “Should we start getting ready?”


	5. Chapter 5

“Okay, how about one of Peter and his brother in law?” the photographer, Natasha, asked. They had been taking pictures for a ridiculously long time now, Peter in a black suit and his groomsmen in gray. Bucky was in nearly every picture, Steve smiling at him from the sidelines. 

Peter and Bucky moved closer together for a picture of just the two of them, both men smiling brightly. Despite Bucky’s older-brother-protectiveness, he liked Peter, which is why he protested when Natasha suggested doing a fake-stern photo with Peter looking worried. It would just be weird. 

What would also be weird would be adding Steve into the pictures. But when Peter asked, there wasn’t really a way to get out of it without revealing the whole scheme. 

“C’mon, act like you like each other,” Natasha teased, waving Steve and Bucky closer together. They stepped close and Steve put an arm around Bucky’s waist. They smiled for the camera and the shutter clicked a few times. 

“Kiss him!” Peter’s uncle Wade yelled. 

Steve and Bucky just laughed, but Natasha tilted her head and said that it  _ would _ be cute. 

Steve looked at Bucky, concerned, but Bucky was already planting a kiss on his cheek. Natasha smiled and clicked a few more pictures. Wade cheered and the others were grinning at them when they stepped apart. Steve actually blushed as they walked back to the group, Natasha calling a few of the others over for more pictures. 

“So…” Steve started, but Bucky cut him off. 

“Can we talk about it later?” he asked. 

Steve nodded and watched Peter take funny pictures with his best friend Ned. 

***

Bucky stood up at the alter behind Peter as he and Becca said their vows. Yeah, so, maybe he was crying a little. His baby sister is getting married, he’s allowed. And if he snuck a glance at Steve in the audience every now and then, it’s whatever, right? Steve looked  _ good _ in a formal-but-not-too-formal button up and slacks, plus a bowtie that made him look ridiculously adorable. 

Becca, obviously, was gorgeous in her long white gown. She was staring at Peter, who was looking more than a little lovestruck. 

They finished the ceremony and danced down the aisle together. Bucky met one of Becca’s bridesmaids, Shuri, halfway and they followed Becca and Peter outside for still more pictures. 

Bucky got some really cute photos with his sister and watched her take about a million pictures with Peter. Steve joined him outside and they stood together as Natasha called out directions to the various people wandering around. 

When they were finally done they joined the reception where guests were already socializing and eating snacks. 

Becca and Peter got the first dance, of course. And Bucky  _ definitely  _ didn’t cry. No way. 

After the first dance, Bucky took Peter’s place to dance with Becca. Their father wasn’t around anymore, but Becca wanted to keep a little tradition so she asked Bucky if he would step in, and he agreed before she even finished asking. 

They danced to Taylor Swift’s “Never Grow Up,” which was coincidentally exactly how Bucky felt about the whole thing. Yes, he liked Peter, but Becca was still his baby sister. 

Every now and then, Bucky could see Steve watching him with a small smile. By the time they were done nearly everyone was crying at least a little. 

Bucky returned to Steve, who softly grabbed Bucky’s hand when he stopped beside him. Bucky squeezed Steve’s hand and they stood there together for a while, watching everyone else dance. 

After a while, another slow song came on and Steve dropped Bucky’s hand to turn and look at him.

“May I have this dance?” he asked with a really dramatic bow, holding out his hand.

Bucky laughed, nodded, and took Steve’s hand. They walked to the middle of the dance floor together. As they were dancing, Bucky suddenly realised what was going on.

“Wait, so, this is just for show, right?” Bucky asked.

Steve smiled with tired eyes and said “Yeah, sure.”

Bucky just nodded, not really into the dance anymore. When the song was over they sat down, only really talking when someone else started conversations.

***

It was late by the time they finally got back to their hotel room. Steve and Bucky took turns changing into their pajamas before sitting down on the bed. Bucky laid as close to the edge as he could, determined not to crowd Steve like he did the night before. Steve, however, was almost exactly in the middle. 

“Can we skip the awkward part?” Steve asked.

“What?” Bucky responded intelligently. 

“I just thought that it would be better to just skip the awkward five-feet-apart thing and just, you know, cuddle,” Steve explained. He suddenly looked nervous and started backing away. “Of course, if you don’t want to-”

“Sure,” Bucky said, cutting Steve off. “I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's going to be like, one or two more chapters? we'll see


	6. Chapter 6

Bucky woke the same way he did the day before, only so much better. He was so comfortable wrapped in Steve’s arms, his chin on the top of Bucky’s head. The only difference this time was that he knew that Steve would be okay with it, that they had chosen to fall asleep like this. 

Bucky was very not ready to get up, so he snuggled as close as he could and fell right back asleep.

The next time he woke wasn’t like the day before at all. He was still so warm because Steve hadn’t gotten up this time, though Bucky was pretty sure he was awake.

“Good morning,” Bucky whispered, smiling into the blankets. 

“Good morning, beautiful,” Steve responded, holding him tighter for a second.

Maybe it was a bad time to bring up the whole fake-dating thing, but Bucky couldn’t help himself. 

“So, about the I-need-a-fake-date thing,” Bucky started. He was cut off by Steve freezing and starting to untangle himself from the sheets before Bucky hurriedly continued, “Wait! Wait, I was going to say, I think that’s so stupid now. I really like you, Steve.”

Steve slowly settled back against him, pressing a kiss to the back of Bucky’s head. “I really like you, too,”  he said. 

Bucky rolled over in a mess of blankets and movement so that he was facing Steve. His attention was immediately caught by soft blue eyes that almost made him forget what he was going to ask. They stayed like that for a second before Bucky finally remembered what he was going to say. “Would you want to, you know, go on a real date? With me?”

“Buck, you could probably propose to me right now and I would say yes,” Steve said. 

Bucky breathed a laugh and grinned back at him. “We should probably go on a date first,” he said.

“Okay, fine,” Steve said while pretending to pout. “How about today?”

“Today sounds great,” Bucky said. “We do have to drive all the way home, though.”

“Right,” Steve said. “I kinda forgot about that. We should probably get up, I guess. Check-out is at noon, right?”

Bucky shut his eyes tight for a second. He really didn’t want to get up. “Yeah, it is. What time is it?”

Answering his own question, he propped himself up on an elbow to look over Steve’s shoulder at the clock on the nightstand. Seeing what time it was, he sighed and pressed his forehead into the pillow. “We only have like two hours,” he said.

“Well, we’re mostly packed, right? So we have like an hour until we need to actually get up,” Steve said. 

“Very true,” Bucky said, settling back down to stare at Steve. He put a hand on Steve’s face, rubbing a thumb over Steve’s cheekbone. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. 

Steve leaned into his hand, eyes closed. “So are you,” he said. 

They stayed like that for a long time, until Bucky was pretty sure Steve fell asleep. He slowly moved his hand to rest on Steve’s chest in an attempt to not wake him up. They stayed like that for a while, until Bucky craned his neck to see the clock and realized they only had forty-five minutes to be out of the room. He nudged Steve awake and they got up as slowly as they dared before checking the hotel room multiple times to make sure they had everything. Satisfied, they turned in their room keys and started for home. 

***

The ride back to Brooklyn was significantly less awkward than the ride two days earlier. They spent most of the time just talking and laughing and eating greasy McDonald’s breakfast.  

Bucky drove the whole way, telling Steve about Sam and Becca, and Steve told him about his family. 

“Sam is going to be so mad at me,” Bucky laughed. “He thought I was crazy for actually going through with this. He will be glad to know you’re not actually a serial killer, though.”

“Sam really thought I was a serial killer?” Steve asked, incredulous. 

“Maybe a little,” Bucky teased.

“Guess I’m gonna have to try a little harder to win him over, then,” Steve said.

“Oh, relax,” Bucky said. “You’ll be fine. He’s gonna love you.”

“When are you going to tell him?” Steve asked.

“I’ll text him as soon as I’m not driving,” Bucky said. 

***

To: Sam 4:57 PM

Hey guess what

To: Buck 4:58 PM

You survived the trip??

To: Sam 5:00 PM

Yes 

Plus 

Me and Steve are dating now

Like for real

To: Buck 5:02 PM

You’re What

To: Sam 5:03 PM

Yes 

Bucky sent Sam a picture of him and Steve holding hands, captioned “uwu.”

To: Buck 5:07 PM

Blocked and reported

To: Sam 5:08 PM

Fair 

“Good news,” Bucky said. “Sam approves.”

“You got that from ‘blocked and reported?’” Steve asked. 

“Trust me, it’s fine,” Bucky said, leaning into Steve’s side.

“Good,” Steve said. “Because I have a feeling I’ll be here a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are! the last chapter! thanks for sticking around to read this story that i decided would be fun after watching a performance of footloose! i hope this was a good last chapter, just lots of fluff.  
> if you want, you can find me on tumblr [here](https://lokiinlove.tumblr.com/) (and it links to my other blogs on desktop!) send me an ask if you want or just hang out, i would love to hear from you guys. i think i'm going to work on the tarot series after this, so look over there for updates if you're interested :)


End file.
